I have a pretty complete tree for my maternal grandfather, but a couple of dead-ends.
The first one is three generations back. He married Sarah Lott of Wraxall on 29th January 1804. He was described as of Portbury parish, but I have found no record of him in Portbury or anywhere else in the area. I'm told that he is very unlikely to have been Irish. An agricultural labourer according to the 1840 census.
He appears to be unrelated to another family in Wraxall that derives from a Patrick Brown.
Any ideas as to how to pursue this one?
The other concerns a granddaughter of John Brown, Sarah Brown born (according to the registration) on 7th May 1852 to Charles Brown and Elizabeth nee Williams. In 1871 she was a servant in Kings Down Parade St James Bristol to a William Mealing grocer. She was admitted to Clifton Workhouse on Sept 7 1872. The Creed Register does not record her discharge. The Bedminster Workhouse records show that she was the subject of a removal order from Bristol Union in April 1874, presumably on account of her being pregnant with my grandfather William, who was born in the workhouse infirmary at Long Ashton on 16th May. At his first marriage William gave as his father William Brown a grocer (sic).
In 1881 William is with his illiterate grandparents in Wraxall, We have a probable identification of Sarah Brown in Wood Street Walthamstow as a domestic servant with a fur merchant, after which nothing.
I did ask Pat some years ago about this one and posting it was suggested. A long shot - any sign of Sarah back on home turf? | 
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